Follow these steps to plan, draft, and revise your essay effectively:
- Start Early
Begin your work as soon as possible to allow ample time for planning, drafting, and revising. - Analyze the Assignment
Break down the assignment’s wording and list the points you need to cover. Identify the project’s purpose and the intended audience. - Generate Ideas
Use varied strategies to brainstorm before drafting: freewriting, asking questions (who, what, when, where, why, how), listing and grouping ideas (e.g., pros and cons, similarities and differences), creating a mind map of connections, or discussing your ideas with a friend, classmate, or Writing Center tutor. - Develop a Working Thesis
Write a preliminary thesis statement or question to guide your essay. Ensure it expresses an argument or perspective, not just a fact. Refine it as needed during the writing process. - Create a Scratch Outline
List the points supporting your thesis and consider how each connects to your main idea. Experiment with different sequences to find the most effective structure, recognizing that good writing involves making choices. - Write a Draft
Compose your draft without pausing to perfect wording or punctuation. Don’t worry about crafting an ideal introduction initially. Pause only to rethink major aspects or rephrase key points, saving detailed editing for later. - Review Paragraph Focus
After completing a draft (or if you encounter issues), note the main idea of each paragraph in the margin. If a paragraph has multiple main ideas, decide if they belong together or require separate paragraphs. Remove or revise ideas that no longer align with your focus. - Ensure Coherence
Verify that each paragraph’s main point connects clearly to the essay’s overall thesis and to the paragraphs before and after it. - Address Reader Questions
Consider an intelligent reader unfamiliar with your topic. Identify terms that need definitions or points requiring additional support (e.g., reasons, evidence, examples) to ensure clarity and persuasiveness. - Read Aloud
Read your essay out loud to identify sentences that are hard to follow. Difficulty in reading often indicates a need for revision.
